We know very little of St. Grimonia. The legends surrounding her life say she was born in Ireland, daughter of a fourth-century pagan chieftain. When she was 12 years old she became a Christian and vowed herself to a life of virginity. Either her father did not understand her wish or had no interest in respecting it. When Grimonia refused his order to marry, he imprisoned her.

Grimonia escaped and made her way to France, where she lived as a hermit. “Butler’s Lives of the Saints” observes, “Here the contemplation of the beauty of created things would often bring her to the state of ecstasy.” Sadly, some of her father’s henchmen discovered her hiding place and beheaded her. The chapel built over her relics became a pilgrimage spot. In 1231, her relics were transferred to Lesquielles.

St. Grimonia is not formally identified as patron of any occupation or group of individuals. However, at a time when pornography is epidemic and young people particularly vulnerable to sexual abuse, we might well invoke her assistance and protection in these areas. Likewise, as she found such solace in nature, we might also embrace her as a patron of environmental causes.